Topeka ? A woman convicted in connection with the 2001 mugging of a 78-year-old man in Lawrence is seeking a new trial, alleging police coerced testimony from her 12-year-old son.

Sonji Daniels, 35, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for charges stemming from the April 4, 2001, robbery of James Lewis, who was knocked down in an alley between Vermont and Massachusetts streets that connects 10th and 11th streets.

Lewis, who had just cashed his paycheck at Capitol Federal Savings, was robbed of $293, according to court records. Daniels was accused of aiding the robbery, aggravated robbery, conspiracy and endangerment of a child.

Daniels’ attorney, Sandra Carr, argued Monday before the Kansas Supreme Court that police, in questioning Daniels’ 12-year-old son, had misled, intimidated and promised food to get testimony from the boy that incriminated her.

“They used adult interrogation techniques on this child,” Carr said.

But Douglas County Assistant Dist. Atty. Bradley Burke said jurors in the case heard arguments about whether the youngster was coerced before deciding to convict Daniels.

“They didn’t buy it,” he said.

Carr said Daniels’ conviction also was flawed because the jury didn’t find an essential element of aggravated robbery, specifically that bodily harm was inflicted on Lewis. The element was not explained to jurors by the trial judge.

But Burke argued that even through bodily harm was not included in instructions to the jury, Lewis was assaulted and received a cut to his head when he fell.

The court took no action but is scheduled to issue a ruling by May 14.

Two others have been convicted in connection with the case. Dewayne Moss, 32, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery and was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison, and a juvenile, who was 14 at the time, pleaded no contest to conspiracy, according to the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office.